With iOS 11, Apple has finally transformed the iPad (and especially the iPad Pro) from being a jumbo iPhone to a full-fledged multitasking tablet that, while not quite a perfect replacement for a laptop, is closer to that vision than ever before.

I think many people will agree with me when I say: It's about time the iPad got some real iOS love.

One of the best things about Apple being such a control freak over iOS is that its new software almost works with many older devices right out of the gate. On the Android side, with the exception of Google's own Pixels, there's no guarantee that your phone will get the latest version of Android (at least not in any timely manner).

Apple has transformed the iPad from being a jumbo iPhone to a full-fledged multitasking tablet.

For iOS 11, Apple's supporting iPhones as far back as the iPhone 5S and newer (6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus, SE, 7, and 7 Plus). The sixth-gen iPod Touch will also get it. And supported iPads include all the Retina iPad minis (2, 3, and 4), the iPad Air (1 and 2), the new 9.7-inch iPad (2017), and every generation of iPad Pro released to date (9.7-inch, 10.5-inch, and two generations of the 12.9-inch).

As with all software updates, iOS 11 isn't going to run perfectly on older devices. There will be some missing features and performance will be slower, but for the most part you're getting new things for free.

Before I nerd out all over why iOS 11 reinvents the iPad, I want point out some of the shared changes you'll find across all iOS devices that get updated.

Hidden gems

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iOS 11 builds on top of the optimizations laid down by iOS 10. One major change you'll immediately discover is the redesigned Control Center, which is now a single page again instead of multiple cards. Most of the shortcuts toggles are customizable, too.

All of these shortcuts are welcome, but I still feel Apple didn't go far enough. It's great there are more nuanced controls for things like controlling your wireless settings (i.e. turning Airplane Mode on no longer turns off Bluetooth as well), but why is it I still can't select my Wi-Fi or Bluetooth network by either long-pressing or 3D Touching the icon? I can do it on Android, and it just feels like a missed opportunity. It's minor quibble, but the details matter.

There are many of these little gems littered throughout iOS that aren't apparent until you discover them. Like being able to rearrange multiple apps at once by tapping an app icon and then tapping any others you want to move together in a group.

A few others: the Camera app can scan QR codes natively, there's a one-handed keyboard that squishes the entire layout to either the left or right side, and a pseudo "dark mode" inverts all the colors.

The new Control Center has all the shortcut switches.

Image: screenshot: raymond wong/mashable

Screen recording is one of iOS 11's unsung killer features.

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I won't list off the full changelog of small, but delightful changes that Apple made to iOS 11, but I will highlight one that I think everyone will love: screen recording. From Control Center, you can now hit the screen recording button and start what's happening on your device.

For tech journalists like me, it's made my job easier (no more plugging my iPhone into a Mac and using QuickTime to record a screen capture). Screen recording is also really useful for helping troubleshoot a friend's device. I've used screen recordings to tell a few buddies how to find a setting or do something within an app.

You've been able to screen record your phone on Android with third-party apps for years, but never natively (not that I know of). The only concern I have with this feature is if someone uses it to record Snapchats and Instagram DMs; screen recording basically negates the ephemerality of these messages. We'll see if Snapchat and Instagram and other encrypted apps like Signal move to block this feature or warn you when the recipient has it turned on.

Fortifying the core

These surface-level tweaks are the first changes you'll see after installing iOS 11, but Apple's also strengthened its core apps and services.

Siri has a new, more human-like voice that sounds even more friendly, and the information cards it surfaces have a slightly different look. I definitely prefer the newer voice, but I also noticed Siri is slower to dictate answers on iOS 11 compared to iOS 10.

Apple's also strengthened its core apps and services.

Siri is also smarter at anticipating what you might want to do. It can now add things like flights, reservations, and appointments to your calendar when you've confirmed them in Safari. You can check your flight status by typing your flight number into Siri Search or Safari (this was really useful when I was recently in Berlin and Cupertino). Siri also scans (but privately and never sharing to the cloud) what you read in Safari to serve up more relevant QuickType suggestions when you're typing.

I still don't think Siri is as smart as Google's Assistant, and its slower response time is not a good thing, but I applaud its less robotic voice. Not that I had really had a problem with its old one.

The Photos app has some new upgrades, including some new Live Photo effects like Loop, Bounce, and Long Exposure. As a photographer, I personally think the revamped Photos and all of its editing features are reason enough to upgrade your old iPad or buy a new one.

The Memories feature that creates little montages from your photos and videos now analyzes more types of scenarios to better cherry-pick moments that it thinks you'll want to revisit, but probably forgot about. If you've never used Memories, I implore you to do so, because it always chokes me up a little to see the people and places I chose to archive in my phone. It's every bit as addictive as looking back in time through the TimeHop app.

If you have an iPhone with an A10 chip or newer (iPhone 7 or newer, 10.5-inch iPad Pro, and second-gen 12.9-inch iPad Pro), you'll suddenly see that photos and videos no longer take up as much storage. That's because iOS 11 uses new "high efficiency" formats for photos (HEIF) and videos (HEVC). These new formats means files are 2x smaller than the traditional JPEG and .MOV files. It's a real plus if you shoot a lot with your iPhone. It's a bummer the high efficiency format is limited to newer devices.

There's lots more: iOS 11 also adds a new "Do Not Disturb While Driving" mode that blocks notifications from appearing on your device's lock screen when you're behind the wheel. Apple Maps has new indoor maps for select malls and airports (though those haven't launched yet) as well as lane guidance. Apple Messages, News, Mail, Music, Home, and FaceTime all have a few small additions. None of these details are appreciably groundbreaking, but, taken as a whole, they're all improvements for the better.

Unfortunately, the much-anticipated peer-to-peer payments Apple Pay feature announced at WWDC wasn't ready for testing. Apple says it's not launching until later this fall. Venmo lives another day.

The only app that's received a top-to-bottom redesign is the App Store. It's now split into five new tabs: Today, Games, Apps, Updates, and Search. These tabs emphasize larger covers and artwork and are designed to help you better discover apps. When you've got over 2 million apps in the App Store, finding new ones can be brutal.

I like the fresh coat of paint and it absolutely has pushed me to download and — yes — buy more apps, especially games than I previously did. Who can really resist pretty screenshots and previews? I'm a sucker for games that show you sizable previews of what you're buying.

iPad gets a makeover

Before you start panicking and thinking you'll have to completely relearn how to use an iPad, just stop. iOS 11 on iPad is still the same iOS you know and love, but it's now packing better features that are built from the ground up to utilize its bigger screen.

Slide Over lets you have three apps open at once.

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For example, there's a new Slide Over feature that lets you overlay an app on top of another and move it from left to right. When combined with Split View, the feature that lets you have two apps open side-by-side, you're now looking at a total of three open apps.

You could open Apple News and YouTube open next to it, and then toss your Twitter feed on top. It's the best multitasking the iPad's ever had, and inches it closer to a MacBook running macOS while still maintaining iOS's ease of use. Multitasking is all the better if you connect a keyboard to your iPad.

Additionally, you can now drag and drop photos between apps. It's still early days and most apps that aren't made by Apple aren't supported. When my colleague Lance tried iOS 11 beta in June, he noted how he couldn't drag a picture from the Photos app into a Twitter draft. Well, that still doesn't work and neither does dragging an image into a Google Doc, but at least it'll work in Notes.

Look at all those apps in the new Dock.

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The new Dock holds 15 apps total; you can dock up to 13 and a divider on the right side separates it from Proactive-surfaced apps (two that iOS 11 recommends based on your usage habits) and one for an app that's connected through Continuity. The Dock can also be called up with a short swipe up from within an app.

The Dock's close resemblance and functionality to macOS's Dock tells you all you need to know about what Apple wants the iPad to become: It's a good-enough laptop replacement for many people.

The new Control Center is integrated with the App Switcher and Dock.

Image: screenshot: raymond wong/mashable

Other places you'll find iOS 11 has been optimized for iPad is the App Switcher and Control Center — they're now an integrated pane along with the Dock when you swipe up from the bottom of the screen.

The Notes app has a new markup feature that lets you annotate screenshots, handwrite notes that are searchable, sign PDFs, and scan documents using the camera. There's a whole bunch of rich note-taking features that make the iPad a more versatile device for doing "real work." Just like adding a keyboard, these features are even more handy and precise when used on an iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil.

The beefed up Notes app is great for office drones and students.

Image: screenshot: raymond wong/mashable

The new screenshot markup is pretty fire, too.

Image: SCREENSHOT: RAYMOND WONG/MASHABLE

Arguably, the biggest new addition that makes the iPad a "real computer" is the new Files app. For years Apple resisted adding a file manager to iPad because such a feature would effectively turn it into a PC, and Steve Jobs was adamant about its users never having to see such ugly backsides of computing. He didn't even like seeing it on the Mac.

Jobs thought individual apps should manage files. But it turns out, when you have several apps managing multiple projects, people actually want a file system. The Files app gives you a centralized place to save and manage your files. It's not a true file system that lets you dig through every bit of the operating system's bits and pieces as you can on macOS or Windows, but it's the missing piece of the puzzle for productivity users.

That said, like drag-and-drop, it's not perfect. I learned moving files between apps isn't as intuitive as you'd expect. You can move items from your "On my iPad" folder to iCloud, but not always to another app. Workarounds include copying the file into the app's folder, but then you end up with duplicates. I also couldn't move or copy files to Dropbox. Clearly, there's still some work that needs to be done to make Files more robust. But for now, it's better than nothing.

Files is also available on iPhone, but it's nowhere near the paradigm shift it is on iPad when you mix in all the new multitasking features.

Once you've installed iOS 11 on your iPad, you start wanting to do more, just like you would on a MacBook.

I've had my iPad Air 2 since 2015, and while I've written a few articles or two on it with a Bluetooth keyboard, I've never felt it was sufficient to carry in place of my MacBook, even when I'm on vacation and don't need macOS.

But after months of testing the beta software at home and throwing more and more productivity tasks at my iPad as opposed to just using it to watch Netflix and browse the web, I'm now very confident it'll be more than enough computing to last me through a nearly two-week trip to Japan.

A must-download, especially on iPad

iOS 11 is a no-brainer download. There's no reason not to download it, other than the fear that your device will become slower.

It's free and comes with lots of important security fixes. Not installing iOS 11 would be more harmful than not since you'd be missing out on security updates that are important for protecting your device from malware.

So, go forth, back up your device (always back it up either with iCloud or locally), and install iOS 11. It'll all be for the better, especially if you're on iPad.

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